MH-283 Bigg Jus - Machines That Make Civilization FunOn Machines That Make Civilizations Fun, Bigg Jus assaults the growing ugliness and inequality of society with a fury and intelligence that are unparalleled in these bleak times of perpetual war and economic fatigue. It makes sense, perhaps, that those coming of age in the diminished hope of the years post-9/11 have gravitated towards the escapist choices of the new generation: beachy chillwave and materialistic rap. Bigg Jus has a longer memory, though. His first project, Company Flow, stood at the top of underground hip-hop during an era when it was actually about something, and he’s still haunted by the events that leveled his home town a decade ago. He doesn’t see the point in rapping about greed or girls, and Machines That Make Civilizations is for those who have been paying attention during the decline and who are hungry for music that aggressively addresses the problems that are right in front of our faces. As cities across America and the world begin to awaken, Bigg Jus offers a soundtrack that speaks truth to power with a profundity that is worthy of the moment.

During the '90s, New York's Company Flow redefined indie-rap while simultaneously creating a niche out at hip-hop's abstract fringe that its ex-members, including Bigg Jus, have occupied ever since. Releasing his first album for seven years, with Machines That Make Civilization Fun, ,Jus has, paradoxically, made an experimental record free of surprises. It's a tough listen - dystopian rhymes, claustrophobic beats and a total disregard for conventional form and structure - although that might be the point. - Q